California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday slammed President Donald Trump after Border Patrol agents reportedly arrested a person outside his planned press conference in Los Angeles
California Governor Gavin Newsom delivered a scathing rebuke of President Donald Trump on Thursday, following the arrival of Border Patrol agents outside his scheduled press conference in Los Angeles, where reportedly one individual was detained.
Newsom went on to claim that should Trump manage what he described as “rigging this election,” the nation would cease to exist as we know it.
Mayor Karen Bass, who arrived at the scene after her office was alerted by a concerned member of the public about the Border Patrol presence, confirmed one person had been taken into custody without a warrant, though this remained unverified at the time. The news comes after a lip reader revealed exactly what Donald Trump and Keir Starmer said to each other on the golf course.
“Well, I think it’s pretty sick and pathetic, and it said everything you need to know about the setting that we’re under. That they chose the time, manner and place to send their district director outside right when we’re about to have this press conference,” Newsom told reporters. “It said everything you know about Donald Trump’s America, and that was top down, you know that for a fact.”
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“He did this intentionally to disrespect the governor, to disrespect this iconic museum, and to disrespect our state. Now, why is this helpful to anybody at all? At this point, this doesn’t have anything to do with immigration at all. This is about causing trouble in our city,” Bass told reporters outside the Japanese American National Museum, where the event occurred, reports the Mirror US.
The White House refused to respond when questioned whether Trump had personally directed Border Patrol agents to target Newsom’s gathering. Witnesses supported Bass’ allegations about the arrest to the Mirror U.S., claiming they detained an individual without producing a warrant of any sort.
U.S. Customs and Border Patrol did not immediately respond to the Mirror U.S.’s request for comment on the matter.
Newsom’s press conference was designed to unveil a proposed mid-decade congressional redistricting initiative in reaction to Texas’s planned redistricting, which was launched at Trump’s urging.
Newsom announced the state will stage a Nov. 4 special election to seek voter backing of fresh congressional maps and attempt to secure Democrats an estimated five extra seats in the House of Representatives. Surrounded by numerous national and state-level Democratic figures, including Senators Adam Schiff and Alex Padilla, Newsom declared the state would abandon the redistricting if the various GOP-controlled states retreat from their schemes.
“We gotta win, I mean democracy is counting on us, the founding fathers did not live and die to see this moment. There’s just too much at stake, and we can roll over and say ‘boy, maybe if we don’t, maybe they won’t continue this process beyond Texas, ‘ you know, for a fact they will,” Newsom said. “At least California can push back and neutralize Texas.”
California stands among the handful of states boasting an independent redistricting commission that redraws congressional boundaries every decade.
Newsom, alongside fellow Democratic lawmakers and campaigners present on Thursday, condemned gerrymandering as a matter of principle yet ultimately acknowledged it was essential to thwart Republican attempts to maintain their slender House majority.
“We can’t stand back and watch this democracy disappear district by district all across the country,” Newsom said.
California legislators must formally announce the special election, which they intend to do next week following a vote on the fresh maps.
Newsom and other key figures within the state legislature claim they possess the necessary votes to achieve this.